The Mum Wine Lie: Why Alcohol Never Made Motherhood Easier
You woke up on the bedroom floor swearing this was the last time, and by Friday you were hovering over that party invite knowing exactly how the night would end.
This is the episode about the moment you finally step off the merry-go-round. I sit down with my dear friend Victoria Vanstone, host of the award-winning Sober Awkward podcast. Vic shares the raw truth of her journey from binge-drinking party girl to eight years alcohol-free, including the “one hangover too far” that changed everything and the therapy visualisation that finally set her free.
The big ideasKey Takeaways
- 01It often takes “one hangover too far”. For Vic, that morning was the moment everything changed.
- 02Mummy wine culture targeted us, and alcohol is addictive by design, so struggling to stop is not a personal failing.
- 03Letting go of the party girl identity made room for being present with her kids and finding joy in a simpler life.
Jump straight inEpisode Chapters
- Introduction
- The Morning Everything Changed
- Why “I Can’t Do This Anymore” Hits Home
- Parenting Present, Not Hungover
- How Mummy Wine Culture Targeted Us
- Alcohol Is Addictive By Design
- The Merry-Go-Round That Set Her Free
- Losing The Party Girl Identity
- The Rejection That Started It All
- The Coping Strategy That Stopped Working
- Finding Joy In The Simple Life
- Why Sober Retreats Change Everything
- Final Words For The Woman Questioning
Tap a chapter to watch from that moment on YouTube
Meet your guestVictoria Vanstone
Victoria Vanstone is the host of Sober Awkward, the award-winning comedy podcast that follows two former party animals navigating life without booze, now with more than 7 million downloads. She started writing the day she gave up alcohol and became a much-loved over-sharer through her blog Drunk Mummy Sober Mummy.
She is the author of the memoir A Thousand Wasted Sundays and Mumming: A Year of Trying and Failing to Be a Better Parent, and is on a mission to help others break free from normalised social binge drinking.
- A Thousand Wasted Sundays (memoir)
- Sober Awkward retreats
- Podcast: Sober Awkward
- Instagram: @drunkmummysobermummy
Sarah Rusbatch is an accredited Health and Wellbeing Coach and one of Australia’s leading experts on grey area drinking. Her podcast, Stronger, Bolder, Wiser, is the go-to space for women who are questioning their relationship with alcohol, navigating life alcohol-free, or simply curious about what life could look like on the other side of the bottle.
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